A Chicago man has been charged with 14 felonies on suspicion of shooting a Jewish man who was on his way to a synagogue. But some community leaders question why hate crime charges have not been filed.
Chicago police said Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, is accused of shooting an unidentified 39-year-old man who was wearing a kippah, the Jewish skullcap, on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, in the city's Rogers Park district. The victim was shot multiple times and was treated at a hospital before he was discharged Saturday afternoon.
“During the shooting, the offender approached a 39-year-old male and shot him in the shoulder without saying a word," Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference Monday. Snelling said that there was not enough evidence to add hate crime charges to the list but that it remained a possibility.
The gunman opened fire on first responders before he was apprehended, police said. He was shot by police and is also being treated at a hospital. A detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.
Abdallahi is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at officers and firefighters.
50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein, who attends the synagogue, spoke at the news conference about increased fear among local Jews. "A man wearing the kippah as he walked to synagogue was shot, and this has just escalated our anxieties."
Silverstein later wrote in a message to constituents that she was "very disappointed" that hate crime charges had not been filed, despite "evidence that seems to suggest an antisemitic motive for the shooting."
Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, of Agudath Israel of Illinois, told NBC Chicago: “There’s no question that from an emotional standpoint, it’s disappointing. But I think it’s equally important to understand that whether or not there is a hate crime charge, that’s a technicality. That doesn’t change the reality of our experience.”
Responding to a question about rising tensions in the area, Snelling said: "We are aware of what's going on in the world right now. And we know how that can affect neighborhoods, communities and people of faith.
"It's not lost on us that there's hate paraphernalia that's being passed around."
The FBI said it was aware of the shooting and was working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to provide resources and assistance.
“Residents of Illinois deserve to feel safe while walking our neighborhoods’ streets, and we are committed to doing our part to return a sense of calm to the community,” it said in a statement.
Attacks on Jews in the U.S. tripled in less than a year after Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, according to data from the ADL Center on Extremism. Attacks on Muslims and Arabs in the U.S. also increased, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said.
Sunday marked six years since a gunman opened fire on a congregation at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people in the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history.
